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No. 1019 TIME FOR A TOUR!

No. 1019

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

TIME FOR A TOUR!

Back in 1978, I was involved briefly in politics and was privileged to attend a National Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. While that was a long time ago, I remember meeting several members of Congress, being in several informative meetings and, along with the others involved in the conference, given a tour of the United States Capitol.
To be sure, this is truly a majestic edifice, and is recognized all over the world. As you may know, this building has a long and rich history. Truly, many diverse stories record the heritage of this building. There are stories that reflect the architectural, political and artistic heritage, but especially interesting are the stories reflecting its rich spiritual heritage. Because the spiritual heritage within this building is little known by most Americans today, a tour through the United States Capitol will highlight many of the stories and artifacts within and will confirm the deep roots of religious faith throughout American public life.
I was inspired to give you an overview after reading a tremendous book by historian David Barton titled, “A Spiritual Heritage: Tour of the United States Capitol.” If you would like to know more about our spiritual heritage, and wish to teach it to your children and grandchildren, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. The cost is less than $7 and can be purchased through amazon.com. I might add this is by far the best book I have ever read on this subject. While there are only 100 pages, and far too much content to try to cover, following are just a couple of brief examples. I would also like to give you the concept responsible for our nation becoming the greatest in the world in such a short period of time.
Most of our forefathers were devout Christians, including many of our former presidents. Our nation’s 6th president John Quincy Adams was an outspoken Christian and read the Bible, in its entirety, once every year. It is not surprising then that John Quincy wanted his children to grow up knowing the Bible and how to study it.
Here is another tidbit that is not common knowledge: John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was founding vice president and later president of the American Bible Society. That is just the tip of the iceberg. The contents of this book will literally amaze you.
Here is the concept I mentioned earlier that enabled the United States to become the greatest nation on earth. Because most of our early forefathers, who made and enforced our laws, had such deep religious faith they relied less on public law or physical force and more on private moral restraint. As former Speaker of the House Robert Winthrop points out, “Our citizens will be controlled either by the Bible or by the bayonet – that is, either by internal self-controls applied from the Word of God or by external coercion and the threat of force.” Just think about that when riots take place in our country, and you will understand why we are where we are.
As the old saying goes, “You can’t make this stuff up.” There are many people in our country today that will dispute everything David Barton has said. Here is his response, “Would you rather believe someone who was actually there and witnessed these events or believe someone who wrote about it 200 years after the fact?” I have just given you a brief synopsis. If you want to know more, just order and read the book.
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)